Ms. Victory

Joan Wayne, a.k.a., Ms. Victory, was first published by Holyoke Comics back in 1941. Then known as Miss Victory, she battled crime and the Nazis as one of the first patriotic superheroines of her day. In fact, she pre-dates the appearance of Wonder Woman by several months.

Almost 40 years after Holyoke ceased publishing her adventures, she reappeared as the leader of the Femforce. Under Bill Black’s hands, she has gained far more notoriety and popularity now then she ever had back in the 40’s. She’s the leader of the Femforce and the glue that holds the divergent personalities of the team together.

Name

Joan Wayne

Birthdate

May 21, 1915

Birthplace

Charleston, South Carolina

Height

5′8″ (may be inaccurate)

Weight

125 lbs. more or less

Hair

Blonde

Eyes

Light Blue

Measurements

38 – 23 – 36

Information from “Knockouts and Powerhouses” the Superbabes Role Playing Game Supplement, copyright 1994 by Selex, Inc.

In 1942, a 27-year-old Joan Wayne was working as a biochemist at a government sponsored lab with a team of scientists working to create a super-soldier formula. When a government operative named Dan Barton ignored protocols and took a dose of the unstable V-45 drug, he became a paranormal but rapidly degenerated into a raving paranoid who had to be captured and placed in stasis until a cure could be found. The setback almost ended the project, but Wayne made a breakthrough and invented V-47, a super vitamin that would alter physiology and boost it to paranormal levels for a temporary period. Unwilling to risk testing it on anyone else after what had happened to Barton, Wayne took the drug herself and entered the war effort as Miss Victory.

HISTORY

Holyoke and WWII

With this panel, the first adventure in Miss Victory’s illustrious career was launched. The story, published in Captain Fearless No. 1, August 1941, was drawn by an unknown artist. Charles M. Quinlan took over the art for her second appearance a month later, and Alberta Tews was credited with the story. Quinlan would draw the adventures of Ms. Victory from 1941 until 1944. With a new artist came a costume change.

Above, Miss Victory’s new costume for her second appearance. Quinlan soon changed the costume to the more familar version, seen below, as drawn by Nina Albright when she took over the art chores in 1944.

To see 2 more pages of this fabulous Nina Albright’ Miss Victory story, in which Miss Victory meets “Noric – The Maniac of the Opera,” see below. The full story is reprinted in the pages of AC Comics’ Miss Victory Golden Anniversary Special, published in 1991.

AC COMICS

In 1942, Joan Wayne tested her breakthrough super-vitamin, V-47, on herself, as she was unwilling to put anyone else at risk of developing the dangerous side effects that had resulted from the use of the precursor drug, V-45. The V-47 changed her physiology and gave her unprecedented strength, invulnerability, and the power of flight. The effects were temporary, however, and she constantly needed to take the drug in order to maintain her paranormal abilities.

With her new super-powers, Joan Wayne entered the war effort as the costumed Miss Victory and, after saving the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, she received official sanction to form an all-women team of paranormals, code-named the Femforce. First, the latin spy, Rio Rita, and the crimefighting Blue Bulleteer, joined the Femforce and then, finally, the bloodlusting She-Cat. The team continued their operations after the war with some changes in the roster until 1987, when Miss Victory was forced to take an overdose of V-45 by the vengeful Black Commando. She was transformed into an anti-social renegade, who called herself “Rad.”

In the 5 years, before she was restored to her normal self, her daughter, Jennifer Burke, had taken over leadership of the Femforce as the new Ms. Victory. When Joan, returned to her role as leader of the Femforce in 1992, she donned the mantle of Ms. Victory.

Since 1992, times have been bitter-sweet for Joan. Her daughter, Jennifer, has taken over the role of Rad, causing Joan much concern. However, she no longer needs to take V-47 in order to maintain her paranormal abilities having become permanently 28-years-old as Ms. Victory. She recently married Paragon, Chuck Starret, and the two heroes are very much in love.

Ms. Victory is respected by every member of the Femforce as a superior tactician, an able leader, and an experienced combatant. She has an IQ of 220 and can fly at speeds up to 200 m.p.h. She can also hold her breath for over 4 hours, and she is highly invulnerable. There’s more, but she doesn’t like to brag.

Joan’s time as the bad girl, Rad, gave her nightmares in this page from a dream sequence in Femforce Issue 22.